Electric controller.



` c. n. VEST. ELECTRIC CONTROLLER. APPLlc'ATmN FILED iULY lr. |915.

Pntente Feb. 13, 1917.

ao. VEST /K/mf/f. N BWM fj. ATTORNEYS.

'of MartinezhContx-a Costa county,

UmTEDsrTEs inTENT oFFIcn eminence DALE vns'r, or inni-unna, cAL1ronN1a,ass1GNon on'r ONE-HALF To vrammelen a. gunna, or mn'rmnz, cams-om: ui.

ELECTRIC CONTROLLER.

lpeeieatlnn of Letters Intent.

Paten ted Feb. 13, 1.917.

, Application lied July 17, 1915. Beria11o.40,492.

, To allabhom. it may concern:

Be it known thatI,y CLARENCE a citizen of theUnited States, anda resident State of Californian have invented a certain new and "useful Electric Controller, of Vwhich 'the following'is a specication'.- 4

The invention relates to time controlled devices for openngand closing electric cir- An object of the invention is to provide a time controlled device of simple construction ,for opening and closing electric circuits.

Another object of the invention is to provide a time controlled device for opening andy closing electric circuits by means of i f which the periods of duration of the closed A limit myself to such forni,

' selected for illustration in thedrawings'accompanyin -and'forming part of the pres'- ent specification.v In the drawings I have shown only one embodiment of my invention,'but it is to `be understood that I do not since the inven- 'tion may'r be embodied in other fo'rms.

y 'Referring to said drawings:

Yas

Figure 1 is a front v iew of .one embodiment of the controller of my invention.

...Fig 2 is a 'top view of .tlv controllerA showing the electric circuit, part'of the iigurc being a section itaken on. the line .4oY Fig-1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on heline4 Fi 1. y V

iig 4 is a section taKenon the line B-B he controller of my invention' is p articularly adapted tobe used in connection with electri heating devices, for opening the electric circuit so that the temperature of the device does not become excessive. 4The temperature of some heating devices,

such aselectric with' the duration of `In accordance DALE Vas'r,

periods being some of which, with the fore-,

blankets, increases in tlme- .between the` the current arid after# a certain duration the temperature becomes' i excessive and' dangerous` `with my invention I provide means .whereby 'ing' arranged toV enga ge ythe the, electric circuit is alternately opened and closed, the duration of the closed and open such that't'he device becomes ated, l.but not over-1eated.` During the closed circuitvperiods the temperaturev increases and during the open circuit period the temperature decreases, and the duration of the o ii and closed periods is such that overheating does not occur. l'F or any particular heating device these periods may be pered'etermined and wh an the controller 1s to used only in connection with a givenA heating-device, the controller may be made so that these periods, are fixed. When it is to be used on different heating devices, or when different maximum temperatures of a given device are desiLhle, the controller-is Y made so' that the vdui ation of the periods may be varied. While I have specifically mentioned electric bla ckets, de rstood that the conti 'oller is in n'omanner limited in its use to `electric blankets, but may be employed in connection with any heating device, the ma: imum temperature of which it is desirable ti control. o

'The controller comprisesga clock mechanism inclosed in a suit: ,ble case 2. The clock dial. 3 is made of insulating material and' contacts are arrangecin or on the dial., The dial is provided with the usual numerals'4'as. isv 7 'the ordinary clock dial. ranged in frontof' he clock dial is a minute-- hand 5 made' of insulating material. Em' bedded in the dial is a metallic ring 6, concentric witlr the `shaft 7 on which the hand is mounted. `The ringy 6 is prvidedfwth spaced segmental prcyections 8 which ex tend through the disl and, preferabl lie Hush with-the front fa ce of the dial. projections form 'one s at `of contacts through ,which the circuit is closed.

Arranged concentril-,ally with and spaced from the ring: 6 is a :netal'lic ring 9 which is also secured `to the dial. connected to the source of' power by the `wire 12 and the ring 6 is tonnected to the other side Vof the power sou ree through the heating device 14E by the' vire 15. l

' Mounted on the har d 5 is an electric con# 'ductor which operates to close the circuit ltontacts 8 and I1 the present instance the hand revolves. u

i of a pair of'brushes this conductor consist 17-'18, connected together,

ring 9 and the the brushes be-` 4 The ring 9 is"- ios the ring' 9 as.

contacts 8, and thereby close and open the electric circuit. When fixed periods-of open 'rand closed circults are des1red,' the ring 9 4may be exposed on the surface lof the dial for its entire periphery and the brush 17"' 'f'rgnayv-he in continualengagement with the ring, the circuit. being opcnedand closed by the brush 18 passing from o'r into Contact with thel contacts 8. 10

When it isdesirable, however, to vary the periods of duration of open and closed l'circuits the ring is rotatably mounted on the dial. andjglts surface is divided into. .spaced contactv segments 19 hy segments of insulation' 21. The ring 9 is preferably 'formedin .parts consist-ing;r of the continuons basev ring 22'and the contacts l!) and the insulator segments 21 'screwed thereto. The parts' are Banged so that the ring, while rotatable; is heldto the lial. Secured to one of the segments are means, such as apointer" 23, 'byvvliich the ringY may be rotated. i .The segments 19 and A8 preferablyy span the samearc so that they may be com' Vplete-ly alined radially andv when they are arrangedin' this position, the duration of 'the closed circuit is at .a'lnaxirnuxn When uthe period-'ofclosed-circuit is to be shortvenecland theA period of open circuit lengthened, thering is rotated slghtly'to stagger 'or lpartly stagger the contacts 19 and 8 ments, the. segments may he adjusted rela` Vand the circuit is closed during the travel of `the brushes over "those portions of the con tactsvshich are radially alined. 'If the an- 'gle of the contact segments i's equal to the angle of the insulated gapv between the seg- .tively so that the circuitwill lie/closeddin-- ing the length of time required hy the hand to travel through' suclt'a'ng'le or the segvments 'may be completely staggered, so that the circuit remains-continually open. Any `ild'ustment between these extremes may b'e In accordance with this construction,the clock mechanism operates to alternately open and close the electric circuit by con. necting-'rtwo insulated contacts and 'the cur- 'rent passes through the contactsonly and' lnot through the clock mechanism.

I claim: v

1. An electric controller comprising a ydial of insulating material,v a hand overly-- ing said dial1 clock mechanism for rotating said hand, a series of contacts on said dial arranged conccntrically with respect to the center of rotation of said hand, a second series of contacts arranged concentrically with respect to said first nainedseries and ,movable circularly with relation theretcuanv open electric circuit connected to said two series of contacts and 'means on the hand 'adapted toclose said circuit` 2. An electric. controller comprising a circularly arranged seriesof segmental con tacts, avsecond seriesof segmental contacts arranged concentric-ally with and movable circularly 4with respect to saidfirst series, an

open electric circuit connected to sairltvo series and a concentrica-lly movable conductor adapted to open and close. the circuit -between said two series of contacts. f

-In testimony whereof, .I have hereunto set c y hand at Martinez, California, .this 29th 

